Sponsored by Select Recruitment
Whitestone Contracting Ltd
Safety statistics source of pride
Whitestone Contracting Ltd is demonstrating its commitment to safety, people and performance.
Operating throughout Waitaki, Dunedin and Central Otago/Queenstown Lakes, the company delivers civil construction, landscaping, vegetation control, roading, and infrastructure projects for local authorities, NZTA, Contact Energy, OceanaGold and private clients.
Whitestone Contracting has achieved a significant reduction in its Total Recordable Incident Frequency Rate from 6.35 in 2021-22 to an average of 0.76 over the following three years — all while growing from 91 to 128 full-time employees.
‘‘We’ve strengthened our safety practices by revisiting our risk tools, investing in technology, and building a culture where one of our core values — Be Safe: Safety Starts with Me — truly guides how we work,’’ chief executive Paul Bisset says.
All staff had input into the company values, which are embedded across every level.
A general manager for safety, people and sustainability was appointed last year, supported by a people strategy connecting training, wellbeing, and safety.
‘‘All our teams have also completed communication training, because being able to speak up and connect well with others is essential for a safe and successful workplace.’’
Legend Transformational Leadership Company
Living up to its name
Dunedin-based Legend Transformational Leadership Company (Legend TLC) is enhancing workplace safety and team cohesion across New Zealand.
‘‘We aim to create safer, more connected workplaces by combining leadership development with cultural awareness,’’ co-director Fi McKay says.
Legend TLC specialises in customised training for industries where complex safety challenges and multicultural teams are common — including health, tourism, and construction.
Deadline-driven sectors are time-poor. Training needs to be concise, practical, and immediately relevant. Legend TLC adapts each course to the people it serves, recognising staff cultures — like using common Filipino phrases — to build trust and improve safety uptake. The result is fewer safety breaches and stronger teamwork.
Feedback shows better communication, messages clearly understood, and Filipino colleagues confident in speaking up during safety meetings. The change in morale and cultural integration is profound.
Legend TLC has also written the Kiwi section of the Cultural Atlas, which informs global AI tools.
It says the real transformation comes from improving cross-cultural understanding and communication in everyday workplaces.
Through innovative, people-focused leadership training, Legend TLC is helping workplaces thrive — safely, collaboratively, and smarter than ever.
Pure Services Group
Dunedin facility takes training to new level
Pure Services Group goes to exceptional lengths to train and safeguard its staff.
The building maintenance and restoration business was founded in Dunedin a decade ago with one person cleaning student flats.
Now the National Support Office in Dunedin liaises with branches in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Cromwell as more than 50 staff tackle projects for the likes of Air New Zealand, Suncorp, FENZ, AA, FMG, the Education Ministry, and Port Otago.
Priding itself on finding innovative solutions to complex problems, Pure Services has built its own training facility in Dunedin. This house can be flooded, have mould grown in it, and be used to show how to treat fire-damaged materials.
Pure Services therefore trains its staff on how to handle the aftermath of such events, and educates its clients to an unprecedented level.
A dedicated trainer also visits the branches to provide regular one-on-one instruction.
Every Friday, all staff join a meeting to talk openly about safer work techniques.
Pure Services can swiftly pinpoint areas or technicians needing extra training and development.
Rather than simply meeting compliance standards, Pure is dedicated to a culture of proactivity and shared responsibility.
Wānaka Stone Ltd
Safety approach helps both people and business
‘‘We like to say, ‘We’re here to break rocks, not people’,’’ director Lucy Middendorf says.
‘‘The stone quarry industry is recognised as particularly hazardous and physically demanding on people.
‘‘So, we created a wellbeing fund that is about preventative maintenance. Just like we maintain our equipment, we support the mental and physical health and wellbeing of our people. This also helps prevent unplanned downtime.’’
The business, founded in 2014, extracts and supplies schist for cladding, paving, landscaping, and architectural features.
It has invested in equipment and tools to prevent worker injury, brings in an occupational therapist to review machinery configuration and work practices to minimise manual handling strain, and uses an occupational hygienist to monitor dust and silica.
Lucy says this approach has been good for their people and good for business.
‘‘We’ve used innovation to improve the safety of our people and we’ve learned that improved safety systems lead to productivity, so it’s a win-win.
‘‘We’ve created a work environment where people feel safe and comfortable, and this has led to increased staff retention — unusual in the stone quarry industry which has high attrition rates.’’
